forest to stare at them in silence, then ran back into the woods.
“Notus was there when word of Darian’s return reached the closest village, when people came to look, when Darian’s son, now a man, came to tell him of his wife’s death.” Rania blinked back her tears at the sight of the smith’s reunion with his grown son and his grief at hearing of his wife’s death. “The son brought metal for his father to work, bits and ends he’d foraged, for he had little coin himself. He had married the daughter of a farmer and worked their family’s plot with her father and brother. When Darian bemoaned the lack of fuel after his son’s departure, Notus chose to reveal himself.”
Rania saw the two men talking, then the blacksmith’s frown of surprise. Notus stood up and shimmered blue, then shifted shape.
“Darian wasn’t as astonished as Notus might have expected, but then the blacksmith had been to Fae and seen many marvels. Notus breathed fire in his smithy, heating the forge so Darian could work. The blacksmith took the scraps his son had brought and turned them into marvels, inspired by the wonders he had seen. He made latches and knockers and cooking utensils; he made hooks and clasps for cloaks and marvels of every shape and size. Every item he made was distinctive, both beautiful and functional. On market day, he loaded up his work and went to town, leaving Notus to finish the repairs on the cottage. Darian returned jubilant that night, with a load more metal, a fat purse, and a chicken for their dinner. He told Notus that the items made with dragonfire fetched prices beyond compare, and the two settled into partnership together.”
The vision spun, showing the passing of time and the cycle of the seasons. The hut gradually became a little finer, a little larger, and the blacksmith became a little plumper. Darian was singing at the forge when the vision settled, Notus breathing a splendid torrent of orange fire.
“Gradually, Darian began to tell Notus about Fae. He said it was filled with such wonders that even a dragon couldn’t surprise him, and listed many of them. He told Notus that there was even a maiden there who could spin ice into strands of silver. Notus, shocked at this news of Argenta, shifted shape immediately and demanded to know how to get into Fae. He confided the truth in Darian, who then wanted to help his friend save his beloved. He told Notus all he knew of Fae, advised him to avoid all food and drink, then showed him the hill where he had entered that magickal realm. On the next full moon, they went to the mound, and both could hear the Fae music from within. The sound made Darian shudder with dread and he couldn’t approach any closer.”
Rania saw the hill and the light spilling from a door in its side, then she heard the wild merry music of Fae. Notus shook hands with Darian and walked toward the portal that shone with welcoming golden light. Rania knew he was making a mistake but it was impossible to warn him. She saw that Darian believed the same thing, and that his new friend would be lost forever.
“Notus entered the Dark Queen’s realm willingly, in pursuit of Argenta, and though he tried to be stealthy, he was soon discovered. His true nature was discerned by Maeve and he was put to work, trapped in his dragon form to breathe fire for the forge of a maiden silversmith. This maiden was the daughter of a silversmith: she had volunteered to go to Fae in her father’s stead when the Fae came for him, because her father was ill. Her name was Loreena and she was young, strong and lovely. She was compelled to work rivers of silver into jewelry for the Fae, into dagger hilts and even blades. Loreena had thought she would be only a night in Fae and, by her own accounting, it had been a year and a day. She feared this was only an increment of the truth, for she had heard tales of Fae before. She confided in Notus that she suspected everyone she knew in the mortal realm was dead. He tried to console her but could only breathe more fire for her work and hope that one day her debt to the Dark Queen would be paid.”
“In time, Loreena told him of the source of the silver.